[at-l] Re: Breathable clothing

[krk@speakeasy.org (Kenneth Knight)]

I'm going to suggest you take a look at the recent articles on raingear and windshirts over at
Backpackinglight.com <www.backpackinglight.com>.

A windshirt may or may not have a DWR treatment that'll let it resist some light showers. The
fabric, usually something like Pertex Microlight, will block wind quite effectively but is in an dof
itself not meant for rain wear. Fabrics that are meant to block rain storms will be heavier,
tighter, less breathable, but will block rain.

>From your description it sounds like you are looking for a wind shirt (the Wind Shirt Wars article
is worth reading). It'll block wind and resist gentle rain. A windshirt will not keep you dry in an
all day rain or a downpour. It isn't meant too.

Those cheap non-breathable nylon jackets are probably not what you want. You'll get quite hot in
them though the wind will be block (and so will rain) and sweaty. Unless such a jacket has good
ventilation it is not really something you want to wear.

  ** Ken **
  
On 1/9/02 at 2:51 PM, Steve Adams <stephensadams@hotmail.com> wrote:

> RAIN jackets and pants, and WINDPROOF jackets and pants all advertise they 
> have a Durable Water Repellant Treatment.  Is there a difference?  Is it the 
> amount of "Treatment" applied?  Is it the chemical compound of which the 
> "Treatment" is composed?
> 
> I'm looking for lightweight garments composed of fabric having a 
> sufficiently tight weave that it will resist wind penetration yet 
> simultaneously allow perspiration to evaporate freely.  It seems to me, a 
> fabric with NO "Treatment" would be more breathable.  Weren't there cheapo 
> unlined, untreated, nylon jackets, at one time, which fit this criterion?

**  Kenneth Knight    Web Design, IT Consultant, Software Engineer  **
**       krk@speakeasy.org        http://www.speakeasy.org/~krk     **